Let's start with the Orthodox Church that has heavily influenced Russia for over 1,000 years.

I think it should be preserved, but, it should not be considered as a guide to solving the immense problems facing Russia today.

Why do I say that/

Because it has been Orthodox "thinking" that has led to so many disasters for Russia in the past, including the Bolshevik revolution and its deadly results.

It was Orthodox logic that led to the "Islamic" conquest of Syria, Anatolia, Constaninople, Hungary, Serbia etc. Orthodox logic focused on a professional army moribund in wrong doctrine.

Their oppressive marriage laws encouraged a lot of people to support the "Islamic" invaders.

It was the Orthodox church that killed most the shaman priests of the old Slavic religion and imposed oppressive rules regarding marriage and sex.

Then it was the Orthodox church that killed a lot of Russians for not crossing their heart with the correct number of fingers.

These 3 criticisms are limited. But, the fact that they caused so much harm indicates that there is plenty more to criticize them over.

In summary, the fault of the Orthodox Church is in line with what Christ said about the Nicolaity in the Book of Revelation.

He hated them. Rev. 2:6 & 2:15

Nicolaity means victory over the people. It is done by politicians, lawyers, medical people and priests who milk the people via their influence, and control over society, and all done in the name of righteousness.

Just reading western news reports about Russia is an education in itself. In the above snippet we find a major British media corporation assuming that Americans have a God given right to decide whether or not Russia should be allowed to participate in the global celebration of sportsmanship. This inflammatory attitude toward Europe's largest and most powerful nation, can be found in virtually everything the western media publishes on the subject of Russia. In one breath they'll tell you the so called "Cold War" is over, and in the next they will do everything they can to perpetuate Cold War hostilities forever. I believe this is not solely a construct of the media, but reflects a deeper anxiety about Russia, among western politicos and corporate fascists.

I've never been to Russia, though I have visited most of the rest of Europe. Most of my travels as an adult were made possible and sometimes absolutely necessary, by my job as a journalist. But although I did travel through East Germany, I saw nothing more of the old Soviet Union and absolutely nothing of Russia. These days I detest flying and have almost no desire to visit other countries, with the exception of Russia. Although I hold and cherish Canadian citizenship, I still consider myself a European, and I believe that until the EU can lure Russia into full membership, the European Union will remain a great idea that is ultimately bound to fail due to its own xenophobic bigotry. Meanwhile, the military-industrial complex in the USA, sits in the shadows encouraging as much hostility between Russians and other Europeans as it possibly can. This is because the USA's internal economy depends on its war-mongering abilities, and since American oligarchs cannot simply attack Russia with bombs and bullets, they resort instead to economic warfare. Americans fear a stronger European Union because such a body could become even stronger and more enduring than the USA. So they will do anything they can to keep Russia divided from its neighbors. Have your readings to date lead you to any different conclusion?

The best way to understand a culture is to immerse yourself in it. You may want to begin by learning the language, daunting though this may seem. I promise you that in the process of learning the language, however, you will also learn much about the culture, as the two are quite tightly interwoven, as you might imagine.

Otherwise, you will be stuck with a set of translated literary works, a few dubbed or subtitled films, music you won't be able to understand and various outsider opinions of Russia and its people.

The best way to understand a culture is to immerse yourself in it. You may want to begin by learning the language, daunting though this may seem. I promise you that in the process of learning the language, however, you will also learn much about the culture, as the two are quite tightly interwoven, as you might imagine.

Otherwise, you will be stuck with a set of translated literary works, a few dubbed or subtitled films, music you won't be able to understand and various outsider opinions of Russia and its people.

Agreed, Desther, because language does shape and define the way we think etc. I wish I spoke Russian, but the best I've ever done in that regard is keep some references on the language around, Russian grammar texts and so forth, which is not equivalent to learning the language. My comment was intended as a personal analysis of news stories that attempt to reveal or even create rifts between east and west. With problems in Kiev raging in the background, I was looking at the different attitudes displayed in those news reports; in the belief that kind of analysis can teach us something about the cultures from which those reports originate. Admittedly, the original editorials from Russia and the Ukraine were probably not written in English, so a knowledge of the Russian and Ukrainian languages would have helped me to refine the analytical thought process. However, I don't think I actually made any statements about the character of Russia and its people. I simply said that just following these conflicting media reports can reveal things about how our personal views can be subtly shaped or modified.